Feedback for the News (and Podcasts)

Over at Scripting News, Dave is positing a system
for giving feedback to the media about what stories you want to
see and which you don't. This in an effort to get more
personalization in the news stories we see.

I've had similar thoughts about podcasting (as has Dave and others).
At IT Conversations, there is a feedback mechanism. Relatively
speaking, no one uses it. Part of the problem is that when you're
listening to podcasts you're probably not at your computer. Part of
the problem is that people don't understand the benefit.

We have a recommendations engine that works off of your personal
ratings. So, if you take the time to rate shows, you should see
things you like in your personal recommendation queue (RSS feed
enabled). Still, while I think the idea is great, the execution
might put some people off.

We've grown accustomed to systems (the Web in general, but even
systems like Amazon and NetFlix) that watch what we do and give us
better results in the future as a result. Podcasting and the media
haven't emerged with that natural feedback in place. Apple
(following industry trends) conceived of the iPod as a "display"
device--strictly one-way. Whatever feedback the device may do, Apple
isn't sharing that information with anyone else.

In 2007, however, I think it's silly to build anything that isn't
capable of two-way communication.